Peyton Manning: Drew Brees 'deserves' NFL passing yards record

Former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning has set many records over the span of his career, but one of the categories in which he leads will likely be owned by New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees by the end of the 2018 season.

Manning (71,940) currently holds the record for passing yards in a career, and Brees sits just 1,495 yards behind.

Should Brees stay healthy, he should hold the record around the midseason mark. Manning doesn’t have any qualms about that.

Unless Brees throws for 52 scores this year — which would be the second-greatest total ever — Manning’s total of 539 TD passes will continue to remain the top number in the history of the game.

Despite setting a career high in completion percentage (72.0) in 2017, Brees didn’t enjoy the same production he’s used to — because the emergence of a dual-threat running game meant he didn’t have to. Running backs Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara combined for 20 touchdowns and over 1,800 yards on the ground.

Brees recorded 4,334 passing yards on 534 passing attempts, both of which were the fewest of his career since 2009. His 23 touchdowns were his fewest since the 2003 season, when he was with the San Diego Chargers.

Even with a run-heavy offense, Brees is a lock to pass Manning — barring injury, of course. It doesn’t seem like the greatest quarterback in Colts history will have a problem with that.

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